An analysis of the current activities of Cherwell District Council’s Environmental Services Department Essay

1.0 Background Cherwell District Council’s Environmental Services Department is made up of two sections (Environmental Services and Amenity Services), which deliver a wide range of diverse services (see Table 1). Table 1. Services offered by the Environmental Services Department. Environmental Services Amenity Services Food Safety/Health and Safety in businesses Waste Collection/Recycling Animal Welfare/Dog Warden Service Street Cleaning Pollution Control/Noise Nuisance Pest Control Service Health Promotion and Disability Issues Environmental Strategy/Agenda 21 This report looks at some of the services provided by the commercial team within environmental services who are responsible for food/health and safety law enforcement, infectious disease control, food/water sampling, licensing/registration, complaint investigation and offering information and training. 2.0 Introduction The majority of the activities of the commercial team are mandatory imposed on the Council by statute such as the Food Safety Act and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. The section’s activities are also monitored through quarterly reports to the Chief Executive of the Council, the Food Standards Agency and The Health and Safety Executive. Despite the regulatory function of the section which is primarily the enforcement of the law, it none the less provides a service which is described as â€Å"the combination of outcomes and experiences delivered to and received by a customer† (Johnson & Clark, 2001 p9). Figure 1 lists some of the aspects of the service experience, which can be used when assessing the quality of the service provided. * the extent of personalisation of the process * the responsiveness of the service organisation * the flexibility of customer-facing staff * customer intimacy * the ease of access to service personnel or information systems * the extent to which the customer feels valued by the organisation * the courtesy